Registration Fees for PCCB

PCCB Registration Fees are based on the total number of full time equivalent (FTE) staff (including personnel not directly employed) performing work in relation to searches and/or HIPS from which the registered firm derives a financial benefit (see Notes below at foot of page). For Platform Providers, the calculation must also include the FTE staff numbers of their platform users. For franchisors or groups, the fees are also partly based on the number of franchisees or group ‘members’. The Search Code and the HIP Code are two separate Codes and thus attract separate fees. However, if a firm wishes to subscribe to the Search Code they can do so either as a retailer, compiler or both. Similarly, a HIP firm wishing to subscribe to the HIP Code may do so as a HIP provider, a HIP Platform Provider or both.

The current fee structure is set out below. These fees show VAT included at the rate of 17.5%

The PCCB routinely reviews the registration fees and the 'Registration Fee Review' process is set out below. The registration period for each Registered Firm will run for 12 months from the date of registration or renewal. For example, if Firm A is registered on 1 November 2009, their registration will run until 31 October 2010 and then be renewable on 1 November 2010 at the Registration Fee Scale current at the date at which the renewed registration commences. No refund will be payable should registration cease during the registration period, for whatever reason.

Please note that your registration fee will be banked upon initial receipt of the application, but the actual period of registration will only commence once PCCB has issued confirmation of registration. This confirmation will only be issued once PCCB is satisfied that all the documents/sample products are in order. Registration will then run for 12 months from the date of confirmation of registration (ie: not from the date the registration fee was banked). Please note that no refund will be payable should a firm withdraw its registration application after the point that PCCB has confirmed acceptance of the application and commenced document/sample product checking. In addition, no refund will be payable should registration cease during the registration period, for whatever reason.

Payment

The Registration Fees should be paid by cheque and made payable to "Property Codes Compliance Ltd". Where two Registration Fees need to be paid, these can be included on one cheque.

Registration Fee Review 

PCCB is a not-for-profit organisation and is solely funded by registration fees. Since its inception, the PCCB has maintained a registration fee structure that is designed to be proportionate to the size and scale of Code subscribers' businesses. The registration fee structure is reviewed regularly with the overriding principle being that all Code subscriber firms should be treated in a fair and consistent way.

Notes 

• 1. "Full time equivalent staff" should include staff (eg: marketing, administration, finance, etc.) whose time may not be spent entirely on search and/or HIP business. For example, if a firm has four administrators who each spend half their time on non search and/or HIP business then these would be counted as two full time equivalent staff.
• 2. "Personnel not directly employed" includes self employed staff, contracted personnel, etc. (eg: search agents, Home Inspectors, etc.) except where such staff are directly employed by a firm currently registered with PCCB as a subscriber to the HIP and/or Search Codes and where such staff have actually been included in the fee calculation of that firm.

12 February 2009